fig 571: Serving bot, Pride of New Xanadu

The Golden Age of Space Travel: stately starliners cruising dreamlike between the galaxy's most affluent and exotic destinations, the great and the good sipping cocktails as they drift among the stars. Many of the most luxurious ships prided themselves on their courteous and attentive robot staff, like this little serving bot from the Pride of New Xanadu, the largest vessel of the second Zeta Aquilean dynasty. Unfortunately, on its maiden voyage the robots went insane, murdering the human crew and plunging the ship's 100,000 passengers into a black hole, bringing the great golden age to a swift close.